How to Remove Safesear.ch Safe that Pretends to Be Homepage? Hijacker Removal Tip

When holidays coming up one after another and discount goes crazy, so does browser hijackers. Among which, Safesear.ch is one that becomes active until recently. Offering a list of the most commonly visit channels, Safesear.ch does attract many PC users to use it as browser homepage without bothering asking where it comes from and how it installs. Safesear.ch endangers identity, property and information security without causing scenes due to the application of some computing techniques. Therefore, VilmaTech Online Support would love to bring it to light and offer corresponding solution.

 

Techniques Safesear.ch Uses Can Be Dangerous

Presenting in a website form, Safesear.ch absolutely adopts JS technique, BHO (Browser Helper Object) technique. Those techniques are approved to allow quick connection and navigation on the Internet. Still, Safesear.ch applies WinsockLSP to intercept and modify inbound and outbound Internet traffic. All these techniques were supposed to be created for benefit. Sadly, they can be utilized in the other way around.

Since WinsockLSP, the DLL file, can be loaded into the SQL Server processes, it can help the browser hijacker change browser settings “permanently” and make BHO technique to serve its vicious and secrete deeds:

1. reaching cookies where contain the stored log-in credentials.
2. fetching browsing history.
3. inserting plug-ins/extensions/add-ons related to safesear.ch without being removed by conventional methods.
4. brings up pop-up ads.

 

Disaster by Safesear.ch

1. CPU is running high even without programs running in the background.
2. Browser may crash more often than usual.
3. Additional toolbar or extensions are installed without consent.
4. Some programs won’t be removed.
5. More pop-up/pop-under ads appear to ruin surfing experience.
6. Errors could occur to break the compactness of the system.
7. More infections can be detected soon after safesear.ch installs.

 

What Safesear.ch Hijacks for?

The ultimate purpose for its hijacking is money. How Safesear.ch makes money by simply hijacking homepage and search engine?

1. By posting ads according to victims’ browsing preference, safesear.ch manages to make money through pay-per click.
2. Serving as a homepage, safesear.ch earns profitable commission by directing victims to the websites the hijacker has cooperative ties with (black hat SEO poisoning strategy).
3. Reselling the fetched confidential information or simply grab away money from online bank account.

Safesear.ch does appalling things stealthily, using computing technique to dodge the detection and deletion by installed anti-virus programs. Such browser hijacker should be removed in no time for the sake of identity, property and information security. Stick to the steps below offered by VilmaTech Online Support. Should you run into unexpected situations during the removing process, do not hesitate to ask for instant help by starting a live chat window with the button below.

 

Remove Safesear.ch and Restore Homepage

Step1. Remove Safesear.ch’s extensions/plug-ins/add-ons.

Internet Explorer

• Click on Tools menu to select “Manage add-ons”.
• Check for “More Info” to see the creation day.
• Remove/uninstall the one(s) created on or after the day Safesear.ch hijacks.
  

Mozilla Firefox

• Unfold Tools menu to select “Options”.
• Please then navigate to ‘Add-ons’ and locate ‘Plug-ins’ panel.
• Use ‘Never Activate’ on the one(s) with its creation day on or after Safesear.ch hijacks shown in “More Info” section.
  

Google Chrome

• Click on the spanner icon to select “Tools”.
• Browse to ‘Extensions’ to check for the creation date of the shown items.
• Remove the one(s) with the creation day on or after Safesear.ch shows.
  

Opera

• Spread Opera’s menu and select “Extensions”.
• Choose “Manage Extensions” and check the creation day.
• Uninstall the one(s) created on or after Safesear.ch shows.
  

Safari

• Spread ‘Safari’ menu to select ‘Preferences’.
• Hit ‘extensions’ tab and remove the one(s) related to Safesear.ch hijacker.
  
• When done, back to ‘Safari’ menu to access Help.
• Choose “Installed Plug” to continue removing the related plug-ins.
  

 
 
Step2. Replace Safesear.ch with desirable URL.

Internet Explorer

• Also in Tools menu, please choose “Internet Options”.
• Hit General tab and enter your desirable URL for homepage.
• Press “Use Current” to change your default homepage.
  

Mozilla Firefox

• Select “Options” under Tools menu to locate General tab.
• Enter your favorite homepage URL in ‘Home Page’.
• Then press “Use Current Pages” to restore homepage from Safesear.ch.
  

Google Chrome

• Hit on the spanner icon to choose “Settings”.
• Locate ‘Home Page’ on the right pane under Basic section.
• Enter your favorite URL for default homepage.
• Press “OK” to keep change.
  

Opera

• Access “Settings” under Opera’s menu to select “Preference”.
• Hit General tab to locate “Home page”.
• Set your desired homepage and finish changing by pressing on “OK” button.
  

Safari

• Access “Preference” under Safari menu.
• Locate General tab to enter your desirable homepage URL in “Homepage”.
• Press Enter/Return key to restore homepage from Safesear.ch.
  

 
 
Step3. Modify Hosts file.

Windows Users to Follow up

• Use Win+R key combination to get Run dialog box.
• Type “CMD” and hit Enter key to get a little black window.
• See that flashing line? Please type “ping safesear.ch/?type=ff-hp-uv” and hit Enter key.
  
• Note down the IP address for this browser hijacker.
• Double click open any folders on your desktop.
• Type “C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers\etc” on the address bar and hit Enter key.
• Click open “Hosts” file and copy its IP address to the last line.
• Save the file and you change the Hosts file.

Mac Users to Follow up

• Hit Finder icon in the launchpad and access Utilities.
  
• Enter Terminal to type “ping safesear.ch/?type=ff-hp-uv” and hit Enter key.
• You’ll get safesear.ch’s IP address, note it down.
• Please then use shift+command+g key combination to get a dialogue box.
• Type “etc” (/private/etc/hosts) to access Hosts file.
• Open it up and paste safesear.ch’s IP address to the last line.
• Save it to modify host file.

 
 
Step4. How hidden items to remove the ones created on and after the day Safesear.ch installed itself.

Windows 7/XP/Vista

• Access ‘Control Panel’ from Start menu and enter into “user accounts and family safety” to choose ‘Folder Options’.
  
• Hit View tab to tick ‘Show hidden files and folders’.
• Please then non-tick ‘Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)’.
• Finish by ‘OK’ button.

Windows 8

• On the Start Screen, click open Windows Explorer.
• Navigate to View tab.
• Tick ‘File name extensions’ and ‘Hidden items’.
  
• Finish by “OK” button.

Mac OS X

• Access Finder folder to select Utilities.
  
• Access terminal window to copy and paste the following line in:
  

  defaults write com.apple.Finder AppleShowAllFiles YES

• Finish by Enter key.
• When done, please then continue to copy and paste the following line in:
  

  killall Finder

• Finish by Return key.

When all the files and folders are revealed, please remove the files as instructed:

a. access the following directories to remove all the temp files:
C:\WINDOWS\Temp
C:\Users\[user name]\AppData\Local\Temp\
C:\Documents and Settings\[user name]\Local Settings\Temp
C:\Documents and Settings\[user name]\Local Settings\Temporary Internet File

b. access the following directories and remove the ones created on or after Safesear.ch hijacks:
C:\Windows
C:\Program Files\
C:\windows\system32\
C:\users\user\appdata\local\
C:\users\[username]\appdata\locallow\
C:\Users\[your username]\Documents\
%SystemDriver%\

 
 

How Safesear.ch Lands on Machines?

Since black hat SEO strategy brings quick financial return on websites in a short period of time, many greedy people needs hijacker like Safesear.ch. Though being punished by renowned search engine like Google, those websites can still rank high in safesear.ch and gain traffic even drastically. This is it. The moment you accidentally bump into a website applying black hat SEO, you fall into victim of safesear.ch. The best way to prevent for future affection by browser hijacker like safesear.ch is not to click anything that suddenly pops up from nowhere regardless of how attractive or official the content is like Masterupdate.net; and not to click on anything on the websites with its URL ended with a string of random letters or numbers like safesear.ch.
 

Tips on Removing Safesear.ch Browser Hijacker

As we’ve been informed before that the attack by safesear.ch can lead to additional virus/program installations. Therefore, one should take more steps to deal with the residual damages after following the above given steps that are exclusively applied to safesear.ch hijacker.

Last but not least, change passwords after the complete and thorough removal of safesear.ch. It is advisable not to make the browsers “remember” your log-in credentials in the future just in case. Should you run into troubles when dealing with the residual damages, contact VilmaTech Online Support for specialized technical help by starting a live chat window here.

 

Defrag after Removing Safesear.ch

Many of VilmaTech’s customers report that computers run sluggishly even after the removal of browser hijacker. The unsolicited installation of safesear.ch leads to the unreasonable use of disk space. Not to mention how bad can the consequence thereof be by the items safesear.ch introduces. Therefore, it is recommended to do a defrag after the removal for better performance. Here’s the video to show how.

 

Published & last updated on November 21, 2014 by Erik V. Miller